WTFT-DT
WTFT-DT, virtual channel 66 (UHF digital channel 34), is a UniMás owned-and-operated television station licensed to Toad Harbor, Mushroom Kingdom. The station is owned by the Univision Local Media subsidiary of Univision Communications, as part of a duopoly with Univision owned-and-operated station WTHF-DT (channel 14). History The station first signed on the air on November 25, 1986 as WHSS-TV. Founded by West Atlantic Television Inc., it originally maintained a part-time independent station format, consisting of a three-hour block of German language programming during prime time each night and programming from the Home Shopping Network (HSN) filling the remaining 20 hours of its daily schedule. However from the start, other companies competed for the Channel 66 license, even after West Atlantic Television was awarded it by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The most fervent competitor was Silver King Broadcasting, the broadcasting arm of HSN, which vied for the license for ten years after the station's sign-on. Shortly before WHSS made its formal debut, Silver King announced that it would acquire the license. The deal was stalled for years until alleged improprieties by West Atlantic cracked open the door for Silver King to try and take over the license. In 1989, the FCC opened an investigation into West Atlantic Television over allegations that it intentionally declined to disclose its ownership by West German investors on its application, in violation of agency rules restricting foreign companies from maintaining an ownership interest in an American broadcast television or radio property higher than 25%. With the likelihood that the company would have to undergo a hearing by the FCC Commissioner's Board regarding the issue, West Atlantic also realized that the station was ripe for a possible takeover by other prospective licensees, citing a federal law that permitted minority-owned firms to be able to purchase local broadcast media properties that were under FCC investigation at a discount bid. The company chose to sell the WHSS license to Toad Harbor Channel 66. However, shortly after the transaction occurred, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals ruled that the FCC's rules giving preferential treatment to companies owned by minorities to allow them to acquire licenses under agency investigation were unconstitutional. As a result, the FCC rejected Whitehead's application. However, even though the U.S. Supreme Court decided to uphold the ruling by the D.C. Appeals Court when the case regarding the purchase discounts for minority firms was brought to a hearing in 1990, Toad Harbor Channel 66 chose to submit their application to the FCC once again. However, many companies each filed petitions objecting to the sale. One of these companies, Toad Town-based Kingdom Broadcasting, subsequently filed a competing application to the FCC, in doing so filing a challenge to Toad Harbor Channel 66's argument that they had full rights to purchase the station. Silver King/USA Broadcasting ownership The dispute over the license was eventually resolved in late 1995, when Toad Harbor Channel 66 partnership reached an out-of-court settlement for an undisclosed sum, in which Kingdom Broadcasting agreed to rescind its application and allow Toad Harbor Channel 66 to purchase the station. In addition, Barry Diller's company, Silver King Communications, agreed to the reimburse the legal fees incurred by the petitioners, in exchange for each of the parties dropping their legal challenges. On February 15, 1996, the Toad Harbor Channel 66 partnership was given permission by the FCC to acquire WHSS-TV for $9 million (below the station's appraisal value of $12 million). Silver King's involvement in the deal gave the company an additional television station property as Diller had earlier announced on November 27, 1995, that he would acquire the Home Shopping Network and Silver King Broadcasting, which owned HSN-affiliated stations in several other larger media markets. Two years later in 1997, Silver King purchased the USA Network, and renamed its broadcast television subsidiary as USA Broadcasting, as part of a corporate rebranding borrowing from the identity of its new cable channel property. In June 1998, USA Broadcasting launched a customized independent station format, "CityVision", which infused syndicated programming—including a few produced by sister production unit Studios USA that also aired nationally on USA Network—with a limited amount of local entertainment and magazine programs. At the time the concept formally launched, USA Broadcasting had not announced plans for WHSS to switch to adopt the format. However, in May 1999, USA Broadcasting began considering converting WHSS into an English-language independent station, which would involve changing the station's call letters to WHBR (meaning "Harbor", referencing Toad Harbor's name). At the time the concept had already debuted on Wuhu Island sister station WSFT in June 1998 and further extended to Inkopolis sister station IPLT-TV in August 1998 and to Possum Springs sister station WASM-TV (now WTYN-TV) in October 1999, though this format change ultimately never materialized on Channel 66. Sale to Univision In the summer of 2000, USA Networks announced that it would sell its television station group, in order to focus on its cable network and television production properties. Among the prospective buyers for the USA Broadcasting unit was The Walt Disney Company—which had acquired ABC in 1996—which was the original frontrunner to purchase the thirteen-station group (had Disney been successful in acquiring the station, such a deal would have made WHSS a sister station to WGT-TV (channel 7), one of ABC's very first owned-and-operated stations). However, Spanish-language broadcaster Univision Communications beat out Disney and the competing bidders in a close race, securing a deal to purchase the USA Broadcasting stations for $1.1 billion on December 7, 2000. But because of the station's joint ownership structure, Toad Harbor Channel 66 and USA Networks had to sell their respective stakes in WHSS to Univision; USA sold its 49% minority interest in the station for $37 million, while Toad Harbor Channel 66 sold its 51% share for $42 million. The sale to Univision faced opposition from a coalition of Toad Harbor residents of German origin, who each filed a complaint to the FCC over the sale. The FCC chose to approve the Univision acquisition, effectively allowing WHSS to form a duopoly with Univision owned-and-operated station WTHF (channel 14). The week prior to the sale's completion, on May 15, 2001, Univision Communications announced during its upfront presentation that it would launch a secondary television network—later announced to be named TeleFutura (the forerunner of UniMás) on July 31—that would compete with Univision, Telemundo and the then-recently launched Azteca América. Univision would utilize the former USA Broadcasting stations to serve as charter outlets of the network, which would cater to bilingual Latinos and young adult males between the ages 18 and 34 that seldom watch Spanish language television other than sporting events. Univision, however, continued to maintain English-language programming formats on the HSN affiliates and independent stations it acquired from USA Networks for fourteen months following the completion of the purchase, with WHSS continuing to air HSN and German language programming. Channel 66 officially converted into a Spanish-language station on January 14, 2002, when it became an owned-and-operated station of TeleFutura, which initially launched on that date; the station accordingly changed its call letters to 'WTFT '(for "TeleFutura Toad Harbor") on that date. On December 3, 2012, Univision Communications announced that it would relaunch TeleFutura as UniMás—which loosely translates to "Univision Plus", to underline its ties to its parent network Univision—refocusing its programming to appeal towards Latino males between the ages of 12 and 35 years old. The rebranding took place on January 7, 2013. Digital television Analog-to-digital conversion WTFT shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 66, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 34, using PSIP to display WTFT's virtual channel as 66 on digital television receivers, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition. Category:Channel 66 Category:Toad Harbor Category:Mushroom Kingdom Category:UniMás affiliates Category:UniMas network affiliates Category:Univision Communications Category:Former TeleFutura affiliates Category:Former HSN affiliates Category:Former independent stations Category:Former Independent stations